‘Family by Choice’ K-Drama review: An immensely likeable trio leads this heartwarming story

Starring Hwang In-yeop, Jung Chae-yeon and Bae Hyun-Sung, ‘Family by Choice’ brings forth oodles of charm, smiles and tears

There’s something consistently endearing about the core characters in Family by Choice. The family unit that comes together by chance and love, bears no overwhelming malice for anyone, are always looking out for each other, and truly believe that a warm meal is the solution to everything from a small misunderstanding to a dilemma over a life-altering decision. 

Joo-won (Jung Chae-yeon) is thrilled at having to grow up alongside Kang Hae-joon (Bae Hyun-sung), who waits for his mother who abandoned him and disappeared without a trace, and Kim San-ha (Hwang In-Yeop). The adults in this family unit, Joo-won’s father Jeong-jae (Choi woon-young) and San-ha’s father Dae Wook (Choi Moo-Sung), too, form a steady alliance. 

The trio are joint at the hip pretty much all the time until Hae-joon’s father makes a sudden appearance in his life, wanting him to travel to the United States with him, and San-ha decides to move to Seoul to be a caregiver for his mother with whom he shares a fraught relationship. The trio find their idyllic life threatened, and what follows is a gradual drifting away. Daily messages on their chat group soon give way to formal wishes reserved only for birthdays and special occasions, before all communication ceases to exist. 

Much of the show focuses on Joo-won, Hae-joon and San-ha when they reunite nearly a decade later. As they discover, a lot has changed but the show thankfully doesn’t dwell for too long on the initial angst and resentment, especially from Joo-won’s side. Adolescent crushes have now given way to stronger feelings, and there’s quite a bit of romance in the air as well. 

The fathers may make up the core of this family unit, but Family by Choice lingers on the relationships its two male leads San-ha and Hae-joon have with their mothers. Both the actors who essay them — Hwang In-yeop and Bae Hyun-sung — are in fine form and it is refreshing to see such well-written male characters who wear their vulnerability on their sleeve. Hyun-sung in particular is all heart — often wide-eyed, happy, and emotionally vulnerable. You’re sure to tear up multiple times during the show, and most of it will probably be owing to him. 

While it does feel like the mothers are excessively villainised, at least initially, the writing thankfully gives San-ha and Hae-joon the space to evolve and reflect on their relationships. In all of this, Joo-won seems to have the simpler arc, but Jung Chae-yeon infuses a sweet, immensely likeable charm into her character. Her loyal and steadfast friend Park Dal (a lovely Seo Ji-hye), with her presence and quiet intelligence, lights up the proceedings.

With frames filled with sunshine, stunning views of the sea from the terrace of their house, quaint restaurants and the central flight of stairs painted bright with flowers, Family By Choice makes for a visually stunning show, warm and bright much like the people that inhabit this world. With an increasing shift towards thrillers and action, slice-of-life shows feel few and far between. But once in a while a show like Family by Choice comes along, that is light, emotional and full of heart. It doesn’t matter that the show is a remake (of the Chinese drama Go Ahead), given how the storytelling and the actors hold their own in the Korean version. Sometimes, the smiles and tears in equal measure is just what you need.